Skinny Love
by blueoceanfloortwat
Summary: (Modern AU) Jean has quite a few issues, starting with his self esteem and ending with his weight. Not letting anyone in, he tries to deal with his problems alone, slowly killing him. What happens when he runs into a new problem? Or rather hits his new freckled problem with his car door?
1. Chapter 1

Music blared throughout the tiny white room light illuminated room with posters littering the walls. Books were scattered around the floor and there was a broken computer lying next to the messy queen sized bed. Under the black covers of the bed, Jean groaned and his hand emerged from the covers to try and turn off his alarm. He slammed around on his nightstand before finally finding his alarm clock, jamming down on the off button. The music disappeared and left the room with a dreary silence.

Jean moved the covers from over him and looked at the ceiling. His eyes and ears began to adjust to the room, his ears beginning to hear the clicking of his ceiling fan and his eyes sees the white paint that covered his ceiling.

Suddenly realizing that his alarm went off for a reason, he glanced at his clock: 7:17am. Of course. He had school.

Letting out yet another groan, he threw the covers off of him and pushed through the piles off books on his floor to get to his dresser. Yanking open a drawer, he took out a ratty pair of jeans and an old worn Nirvana t-shirt. He threw on the jeans and then looked at the t-shirt. 'What size even is this?' he thought. 'It looks way too big.' He checked and saw that it was a medium. Flinching a bit at the bold M on the tag, he took off his night shirt and went to his closet. Opening the closet door, he looked into the mirror that hung on the door. His reflection near horrified him.

"When did I get so fat?" he mumbled to himself. He looked at the Nirvana shirt again and slowly pulled it on. Much to his chagrin, it fit perfectly. Anger filled his eyes and his hands turned to fists. He contemplated punching the mirror before letting out a frustrated sigh and reaching onto the top shelf of his closet for a beanie. Glaring at his reflection for one last time, he pulled on the beanie and began to exit his room.

"Jean! Jean! _Jean!_"

Ashe was shutting his door, he turned his head to see his 5 year old sister, Delaney, running towards him. A small smile appeared on his face and he broke into a run towards her to meet her half way. She jumped into his arms and giggled as he lifted her up and began to make his way downstairs.

"Jean! Jean! Jean, today's my first day of kindergarten, isn't that great?!" Delaney practically yelled at Jean.

He chuckled and set his blonde sister in her seat at the kitchen table. "That's amazing, Del."

The little girl's eyes shined with excitement as she began to dig into the waffle that was set in front of her. Jean's face fell at the sight and he looked away, grabbing his backpack to leave.

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" Jean turned to see his mother standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Just heading to school," he answered. He tried his hardest to give her a smile, but she wasn't having any of it. She grabbed his arm and yanked him over to the table, shoving him into his seat. A waffle just like his sister's sat in front of him. Delaney seemed to be enjoying it, she was already halfway done. To him though, it wasn't as appetizing.

"it's your first day of junior year, Jean, and I can see your ribs for God's sake. You're not leaving this house without breakfast," his mother snapped at him. Delaney looked up from her plate, only seeing Jean's slightly pained face. Worry filled her mind but she didn't know how she would be able to help.

Jean plastered on another smile and looked at his mom. "You're right, I should eat. I will, Mom, don't worry."

His mother sighed and kneaded her temple with her knuckles. "I'm sorry for snapping, hon, just eat breakfast and have a good first day."

With that, she left the kitchen, probably to go to bed. As soon as he was sure that she was gone, Jean took the waffle and slid it onto Delaney's plate. Her eyes widened and she looked up at her big brother. "Jean, you told mom you'd eat! If you don't eat, you'll get sick!"

"I'll get even sicker if I do eat. Do you want me to get sick?"

Her blue eyes began to tear up and she shook her head.

Jean smiled and patted her head, getting up from the table. "Of course you don't. now eat up and don't tell mom." He picked up his backpack and went by her chair, kissing her lightly on the crown of her head. "Have a good first day, Del, I'll see you after school."

With that, he left through the kitchen door, closing it quietly as to not alert his mom of his exit.

As Jean arrived at school, he already wished that he was back at home. Kids were everywhere. Sitting on the front steps, on cars, even just on the pavement. He parked his beat up truck in the farthest parking spot from the school, not wanting to get any closer. He cut the engine and looked out the passenger window at all the people. He uncomfortably adjusted his shirt and cringed when he felt the fat underneath the fabric.

He pulled his hand away and sighed. "Well, this is why I'm skipping breakfast, right?"

Nodding to himself, he opened his door blindly. As soon as he heard his door hit something and heard a faint 'shit', he quickly hopped out of his seat. Shutting his door, he looked at the ground to see a muscular brunette who had his hand to his forehead.

"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry!" Jean kneeled down and tried to see if the other male was okay. "Are you okay? I am so sorry."

The freckle faced brunette took one look at Jean and let out a whole hearted laugh. Jean was confused and even a little confused, a light blush covering his face. He just hit this guy with a door, why was he laughing?

"It's totally fine. Not the first time for me to get hit with a car door," the brunette said. Seeing the look of horror on Jean's face, he laughed again. "I'm only kidding."

He stood up and held out a hand for Jean. Jean hesitantly took it and stood up. "I'm Marco," the freckled boy said.

"Jean," Jean replied.

"Nice to meet you, Jean. Mind walking into the school with me?" Jean stared at Marco, surprised he even wanted to be seen with him. He had only met the brown eyed boy one minute ago, but he could definitely tell that he was a jock. He wore dark blue jeans and a white shirt, his muscles almost obvious, and nothing about him put off the idea that he was unfriendly. He probably had loads of friends, quite the opposite of Jean. Jean kept to himself and tried to stay away from human interaction as much as possible. Why would this overly nice human being want to be around him?

Jean however might be quiet, but he wasn't an asshole, so he nodded and accepted Marco's invitation. While walking into the school, they didn't talk, but Jean could feel eyes boring into him. He looked around him and saw people staring and whispering to each other.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jean jumped slightly and looked over at Marco who stared at him with worried eyes.

"Y-yeah. Why's everyone staring at us?" he asked, even though the answer was quite obvious to him.

Marco was surprised by the question and looked around, suddenly noticing all the stares. "Hm. I have no idea. Oh well, let's go inside."

Jean was baffled by this guy. Didn't this idiot understand that they weren't supposed to be hanging out, didn't he even slightly worry about his social status? A jock like him usually wouldn't be caught dead around some fat outcast, but somehow he just didn't care. What an oblivious twit.

"Actually, I still have to find my classes and my locker, and I'd like to do that by myself," Jean found himself saying. Marco turned to look at Jean and Jean thanked God – if there even was one – that Marco had an understanding face.

"Oh alright, I'll see you later then, man." Marco patted Jean on the shoulder with enough force to almost send him flying forward and then walked away to find his group of friends. Jean watched him walk away before running into the school and going to find a bathroom to hide in until first period.


	2. Chapter 2

Eventually, Jean exited the bathroom. He would've stayed in their all day if some guys hadn't come in and decided to smoke pot. Jean had nothing against drugs or people who did them, he just hated the smell. He made his way down the nearly empty hallway and slid into his first period English III class, about 20 minutes late. Trying his best to not draw attention, he crouched down and headed towards an empty desk at the back of the room. He however didn't notice a foot purposely set in front of him.

Tripping over the black Puma sneaker, he dropped his backpack and his body hit the floor with a loud _thud, _his body skidding forward slightly. An awkward silence fell over the room with small chuckles here and there as Jean tried to lift himself up. When he was in a sitting position, he noticed everyone's eyes on him. He felt his cheeks get warm and he hurriedly gathered his things before scurrying to the seat in the back.

"Ah yes, Mr. Kirstien, I was wondering when you'd show up. In the future, I suggest not being late for my class." Mr. Smith sent a small glare at Jean before continuing with his lesson. Jean's eyes slowly lifted from his desk and met the gaze of the boy who tripped him, Riener Braun. The husky blonde laughed under his breathe and looked back to the front of the room, but not before high fiving one of his goons.

Jean sighed and diverted his eyes back to anywhere but the people around him. Riener seemed to always have a problem with him and he wasn't sure why, he hadn't done anything. At least nothing he could think of. One day, he just started to pick on Jean, slightly leading up to Jean's problem with food though it wasn't the only cause. People could just be so mean.

30 minutes later, the bell for the next period rang and Jean grabbed his back pack to hurry out of the room. Getting into the hallway, he was caught in the cattle of the other students, going very suddenly slower. After a minute and a half of waiting, he got to his Algebra II room and sighed in relief. He got into a random seat in the back and took out his phone, ready to be on it the entire class period.

Then from the front of the room, a feminine voice rang out. "No. _Way!_"

Jean jumped a bit, but smiled when he looked up. Standing at the front was his best friend, Sasha Blouse, holding hands with his other best friend, Connie Springer. The brunette dragged her boyfriend to the back and sat in the desk in front of Jean, sitting in her seat backwards. Connie took a seat next to Jean, letting go of Sasha's hand.

"I can't believe you're in our class!" she shrieked. Others around their little group glared at her, but Jean knew better. He knew that _Sasha _didn't know better. But how Connie could date the girl, he'd never figure out.

He smiled a bit and put away his phone. "Yeah, I kind of thought I was alone in all my classes. Though Riener decided to show up in my English class." He let out a long sigh after the last statement.

At the mention of the blonde, Sasha's smile fell slightly and her eyes slowly darkened. "Has he done anything to you?"

Jean face palmed in his head. Why did he have to say anything? It was fine until he said something. "He just tripped me, but it's nothing."

Sasha looked ready to stand up and hunt down Reiner, but Connie took her hand, calming her slightly.

"That little shit," Jean heard her mumble.

He stared at her worriedly before a short man walked to the front of the room as soon as the bell rang, silencing the room. Connie squeezed Sasha's hand before dropping it again and looking down at his desk. The man at the front of the room wrote his name on the board and everyone realized who he was: Mr. Ackerman. Levi Ackerman. Mikassa Ackerman's brother.

As if on command, the short haired girl walked into the room and sat next to her friend, Armin and her boyfriend Eren, at the front of the room. Jean's eyes sat on the back of her head until the man at the front began to speak.

"My name is Mr. Ackerman and I am your Algebra II teacher. I'm sure you all know my sister Mikassa so you all also know my full name. But to put it simply, if any of you dares to call me Levi, I'll stick my boot so far up your ass, you won't be able to sit for a week. Are we clear?" Nods and 'yes's spread through the room, and Levi nodded his head, knowing that they were all in a silent agreement. Turning back to the board, he began to explain how this year would go.

Jean's eyes moved again to Mikassa's head. He wouldn't admit it, but he always had had a crush on the girl. Being an outsider though, he wasn't going to talk to her. With her short black hear and near perfect skin, he wouldn't dare talk to her. With Eren also hanging around her, his chances were near invisible. He knew how much Mikassa loved that guy.

She must've sensed him, because she turned her head quickly to examine those behind her. He looked down at his desk, not wanting her to see him staring. She only shrugged when she saw nothing and adjusted the scarf around her neck, looking back to the front. Jean looked back up and was relieved to see the back of her head.

The rest of the class period and periods after that passed with little to no unneeded experiences. Jean was tired by the time that he got to the lunch room for his 7th period. He knew getting lunch would just end with him staring at the plate the entire period so he didn't bother and walked outside to sit on a bench by the courtyard. He sat down and pulled out his Algebra II book to do homework that Mr. Ackerman had already assigned to them and began to work. This went on for 15 minutes before he heard someone calling his name. He looked up from his book and saw the Marco guy from earlier walking towards him, a giant smile plastered on his face.

Jean sighed and looked back down at his book. _Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away, _the male thought to himself. But there was no such luck in Jean's favor as the brunette sat down next to him, a tray in hand.

"Hey, Jean, didn't you see me waving at you?" Marco asked, confused on why Jean hadn't acknowledged him.

Jean glanced at him. "Sorry, I just really need to get my Algebra II done."

"Oh, do you have Mr. Ackerman? He scares me, he threatened to kick my class's ass if we called him Levi."

This sentence seemed to actually force a smile onto Jean's face and he laughed. Even though the laugh hurt a bit, he managed through it. "I guess he gave every class that speech."

"I suppose." Marco smiled again and reached onto his lunch tray for his hamburger, lifting it to his mouth. As he bit into it, Jean physically cringed and his stomach growled. Clutching his stomach, he looked down at his math book again, not even paying attention to the words. _You fat pig, don't even think about it. _

Marco stopped chewing and looked at the undercut haired boy. He was leaning over his book and clutching his stomach tightly, seeming to be in pain. He placed his hand on Jean's back. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jean said through gritted teeth. His stomach began to growl again and he held it tighter, forcing it quiet.

"I can lend you half of my fries."

"I don't want them, I said I'm fine." His response was quick and filled with venom. Marco was slightly set aback but he assumed if it was something Jean wanted to talk about it, he would've talked about it. So Marco only nodded and went back to his lunch. The rest of the period was filled with silence.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of Jean's day was rather quiet; he could barely remember the last of his classes. All he knew was that he had a physics assignment. He couldn't remember what it was exactly, he just knew he had one.

Entering his house, he forced on a smile seeing as Delaney was probably home at this point. Seeing a brown blur run towards him, he was proven right.

"Jean, Jean!"

The small girl jumped at him and he quickly caught her in his arms. He held her up enough that she could make eye contact with him. She smiled and hugged him, her small arms laced around his neck. He chuckled and hugged her back. "How was your day, rugrat?"

She pulled away with an even bigger smile on her face. "It was amazing! This boy Richie is my best friend that's a boy and this girl Penny is my best friend that's a girl! We got to draw with each other and we all drew horses!"

A small genuine small graced Jean's face. "That's great, I'm glad your first day went well."

"Did you make any friends, Jeany?"

He tried to think if he'd have to lie to her or not. Then he remembered Marco. They could be considered friends, couldn't they? He hit they guy with a door, but they could still be friends. "Yeah, I did. His name's Marco. He's a nice person, just like Connie and Sasha. You'd like him."

Delaney smiled at her big brother before slipping out of his arms and plopping to the ground. She ran to the kitchen where their mom no doubted was, waiting for Jean to get home. He walked in and his mom was sitting at the kitchen table on her computer. Her normally straight brunette hair was frazzled and her face had a stressed look to it.

"How was your day, dear?" She didn't even look away from the screen in front of her.

He walked past her to the stairs that led to upstairs. "It was fine."

"Good to hear." Jean continued up the stairs to get to his room, only stopping for a second when he heard his mother say, "Be down soon for dinner."

He continued to his room, not even worrying about the meal. She wouldn't actually make him eat, she never had before this morning. She usually forgot to make dinner and fell asleep at the table anyway, ending n Jean driving Delaney to McDonalds. She was always on that computer, trying to find a job nicer than the one she already had. Turns out working in a lonely office cube somewhere wasn't a fun job. But Jean didn't complain about his almost-always-absent mother, he could take care of his sister, better than his mother and father combined. Way better than his father.

Shuddering at the thought of the abusive man, he threw his bag onto his bed before shutting the door to his room. He slid into his desk chair and logged onto his own computer. He went straight to Twitter, checking his followers and seeing if anyone tweeted him. He was surprised to be met with both a follow and not only a tweet, but a DM. he checked the follower he had gained and almost groaned outwardly. In bold letters were the name Marco Bodt. _Why does this guy insist to be my friend? _

He clicked to see who had DMed him and once again saw 'Marco Bodt'. He exhaled when all he saw was the freckled guy asking for the pages and questions in Algebra II, but he still wondered why he was asking him. Marco seemed popular enough that he could ask anyone, why was he asking Jean? Regardless, he answered and then logged out of the site.

He took out his own work and started on it. Then he heard a ping from his phone and looked down to see he had a notification from Twitter. He sighed and opened his phone. I was probably just Marco saying 'Thanks' or whatever it was he said. But Jean was surprised to see that he had replied with, 'I have no idea what any of this is. Do you get it?'

Jean replied hesitantly, 'Yeah, it's really easy.'

A ping was heard almost instantly. "Would you mind helping me with it tomorrow morning? We could meet early and do it in the cafeteria.'

Jean stared at the message almost judgingly, but only thought about how he had nothing else to do. Sending back 'Sure, I can meet you there at 7:30," he then shut off his phone. He didn't need any more surprises tonight. What was this guy not getting? Did he honestly _like _being around the school's outcast? Maybe if he brought Sasha and Connie to the little study session then he'd figure it out.

Jean shook his head, feeling bad for judging so quickly. _He seems like a nice guy, he's only trying to be friendly. _

Attempting to forget the situation, he looked back down at his Algebra II book, continuing the multiple problems that Levi had assigned. An hour later, Jean ended up having to drive his sister to Taco Bell to get her dinner, seeing as their mother had gotten fed up with her searching and locked herself in her room with a wine bottle. He left the house knowing she wouldn't do anything more than get on a small buzz.

He ordered for his little sister, not daring to even look at the menu for himself. Delaney stared at him as he handed the cashier his money, as if silently asking him if she missed him ordering for himself. But she didn't say anything. When getting their order, he handed Delaney her to-go bag and took her hand before leading her back to the car.

At home, he watched her eat, watched her watch TV, and then tucked her in for bed.

Then after getting another DM from Marco on his computer, him expressing how grateful he was for the study session, Jean turned everything off and went to bed on an empty stomach.


	4. Chapter 4

Jean walked up to the front door of the school, not taking his eyes away from the cement below him. It was 7:25 and he knew that the jocks practiced at this time, sending a shock of fear towards him. Reiner was on the football team and Jean wanted no part in going against him this morning.

"Hey, loser."

Speak of the devil. Jean cringed and looked up to meet the eyes of the blonde he'd dreaded. A smirk was plastered on his face as his friends caught up behind him.

"Why're you here so early, fag?"

"Don't call me that," Jean snapped at him without thinking.

The smirk fell from Reiner's face and he took a few steps toward Jean. Jean took a step back, slightly tripping over his black converse. He regained his feet and looked at the group in front of him. He was only one guy, a weak one at that, so he obviously couldn't take on Reiner and two of his idiots. He'd have to find a way around this.

"What did you say to me, _fag?_" Reiner said with his eyes shooting daggers.

Jean was making a quick escape plan in his head when someone placed their hand on his shoulder. He flinched but then looked and saw Marco staring at him with a smile on his face. "Hey, man, sorry if I'm late. I just got out of practice."

Jean looked from Marco to the Reiner and was trying to figure out if Marco even mildly understood what was going on right now. Marco's eyes then followed Jen's to Reiner and a smiled formed on his face yet again.

"Reiner, hey! I didn't know you and Jean were friends."

Reiner gained a surprised face and then a confused one. "Um… yeah, whatever."

His best friend, Bertholdt, tapped him on the shoulder. "Maybe we should go, Rein."

Grunting, Reiner sent Jean a glare before turning around and walking away with Bertholdt and Thomas.

Marco missed the glare that Reiner had sent and was still just as happy as he was when he showed up. He turned to Jean and was caught off guard by his confused facial expression.

"What?" he asked.

Jean shook his head a bit, but kept staring at him with the same face. "Nothing, just… do you _actually _believe that me and Reiner are friends? Do you really think that?"

Marco stared at him obliviously for a minute. "Well, you guys were talking so-"

"Never mind," Jean interjected. "Let's just go and finish your homework. If we don't, Levi will flip his shit."

He began to walk towards the front of the school again and opened it. He turned around with the door still open and stared at Marco expectantly.

"You coming or what?"

Marco got out of his daze and followed Jean inside, shutting the door behind them.

Roaming the hallways, they got to the cafeteria and sat down at a table in the back by the windows that showed the court yard where people were already starting to sit. Marco pulled out his math book and homework, giving Jean a side look. Jean stared outside with a blank stare before redirecting his attention back to Marco, a small fake smile on his face.

"Alright, let's start on what you don't understand," he said, looking over at Marco's math book.

Half an hour later, Marco had done his entire paper with curiously little help from Jean. Jean stared at him questioningly every time he said he didn't get something and then suddenly did 5 seconds later. Marco knew what his homework was, was almost perfect at doing it even, so why did Jean need to be here?

"Cool, I got it," Marco said, turning to grin at Jean.

"Yeah… That was perfect actually. Are you sure that you didn't get that?" Jean asked.

"Nope, not one bit."

Jean didn't believe the freckled boy, but shrugged it off. Besides, if the guy was only using math as an excuse to hang out with Jean, he wouldn't stop him. Surprisingly, Marco was a pretty cool person; Jean didn't mind waking up early to hang out with him.

People began to walk into the cafeteria, distracting Jean from thoughts of anything or anyone. All he saw was people staring at him and Marco by the windows. _Shit, what are they thinking? _Then he saw Mikassa, Eren, and Armin entering the cafeteria. Jean stared at Mikassa for a second before looking down at the table, a blush on his cheeks.

Marco noticed this and smiled at him. "You like Mikassa?"

Jean's head snapped up and he glared at Marco. "What would give you that stupid idea?"

"You were staring at her as she walked in and now you're blushing. Jean, it's kind of obvious."

"Dammit," Jean said under his breath. That probably meant Mikassa knew too.

"Don't worry, I can help."

Jean looked at the freckled boy in alarm. "What do you mean by-"

"Eren! Armin! Hey!" Marco smiled and furiously waved at the group. They saw Marco and also smiled, walking in the direction of his and Jean's table. Mikassa walked next to Eren with her hand clasped in his and she had a rather expressionless face as she took a seat at the table. Right next to Jean.

Jean stared down at the table, avoiding eye contact with anyone. He would just let them talk and get away as fast as possible.

Suddenly, someone tapped the space on the table that he was staring at. He looked up slowly and made eye contact with Mikassa who had been the one to get his attention.

"I'm Mikassa. And you are?"


	5. Chapter 5

Jean smiled nervously. "I-I'm Jean. Nice to meet you."

Mikassa only nodded at him before returning to the conversation that was taking place between Armin and Marco. Eren was staring at Jean for some reason, a serious look plastered on his face. That's when Jean realized that Eren was in the group that had harassed him earlier that morning. Of course, Reiner was the only one doing the harassing, but Eren was there and watched.

Eren opened his mouth to say something, but then was pulled into a conversation with Mikassa who was getting bored of the other boys. He smiled at his girlfriend, but didn't hesitate to glance at Jean every now and then.

"Hey, Jean, you okay? You haven't talked in the past 15 minutes."

Jean turned to face Marco who had a worried look on his face that he was trying to hide with a smile.

Jean didn't even bother a fake smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." He quickly realized that the table went quiet and didn't hesitate to stand up. "Actually, I should probably be getting to class."

While reaching for his bag, Eren quickly grabbed it and stood up. Jean was about to just leave without even so much as reaching for it, but Eren did something strange. He took a step forward and handed it to Jean.

"Hey, man, I'm sorry about Reiner. I'll tell him to back off or something next time, that wasn't cool," he said.

Jean stared at him before taking his backpack. He was probably only trying to look good for his girlfriend, but Jean still appreciated the gesture. "Um, thanks."

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he began to exit the cafeteria. He heard Marco yelling after him, but he didn't turn around or stop. The guy had called his crush over to the table, with her _boyfriend _no less. Marco might've thought he was being helpful, but the plan he had been setting up was nothing but disaster. To add to that, he didn't even notice obvious bullying when he saw it. It was almost ridiculous. Jean wasn't going to talk to him for the rest of the day, try to avoid him at lunch. He just wasn't in the mood today.

Marco gave up on calling his friend back and sighed, looking down at the table. Then he realized what Eren had said to Jean before he left. He lifted his head and looked at the brunette. "What happened with Reiner this morning?"

Eren's eyes widened. "You really don't know? I kind of figured Jean would tell you."

Mikassa elbowed Eren kind of roughly in the side. "Jean barely talked at all when we sat down. What makes you think he'd be open to telling someone who's barely an acquaintance a secret like that?"

"Someone just tell me what the hell is going on!" Marco snapped.

Armin visibly flinched at Marco's tone. He rarely got angry at anyone as far as the group was concerned, so it was almost terrifying to see him like this.

Eren began to explain. "Reiner's been bullying Jean for a while, since 7th grade actually. It began with him calling him 'chubby', since back then, Jean was a bigger kid. Then as the years passed, the names got worse and the abuse got more physical. Sometimes he would punch him hard in the side or the stomach, shove him into lockers. You name it, Reiner did it. Then he started to call him a 'fag' since chubby wouldn't even make sense anymore because Jean lost weight; and I mean a lot of weight."

Marco's face had grown paler from the few sentences that Eren had said. He didn't know. If he knew, he would've done something. They'd only been friends for two days and he would've done something to help this boy. "I had no idea."

Armin smiled sadly at him. "It's probably not something he likes to talk about, Marco. It's not like you've done anything wrong."

"Yeah. When you walked over on Reiner harassing Jean, there's no way you could've known that that was what was happening. Reiner's a smart guy; he knows how to hide stuff."

Marco tossed around thoughts in his head over what he had just learned. Jean was called 'chubby' when he started getting bullied. Then he lost a lot of weight almost out of nowhere. Marco mentally kicked himself at not noticing. No wonder Jean looked so hungry yesterday, no wonder he denied Marco's offer of fried. Jean was starving himself.

Marco stood up and grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder and going to search for Jean. "I'll see you guys later."

He heard faint goodbyes behind him as he exited the cafeteria. Checking his watch, he saw that 10 minutes remained before first period, so he had a very short amount of time to hunt down the brunette. He walked by a few classrooms, looking in each of them to see if Jean was there. 3 minutes until first period started, he was giving up. Deciding he could confront him at lunch, Marco headed to his first period.


	6. Chapter 6

True to his word, Jean avoided Marco all day, running whenever he even thought he had seen him. This was particularly tricky at lunch, seeing as Marco was determined to find him, but he hid as well as he could.

However, Jean wasn't as lucky after school. He was speed walking to his car when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He slowly turned his head and was relieved to see that it was only Reiner. Woah. He was _relieved _to see Reiner. That was quite a change.

Reiner grabbed Marco by his collar and dragged him behind a car, out of view of the school. He slammed the boy against the car door rather roughly, which somehow didn't set off the car's alarm.

"I don't think we were finished earlier," Reiner hissed at him. Jean halfheartedly tried to push the blonde off of him, but was shoved into the car again, rougher this time. "That's right, we didn't. Fucking Marco had to come and mess things up."

At the mention of the freckled boy's name, Jean's face instantly heated up. Still being angry at him, he was confused on why his skin made this action. Reiner however didn't just glance over this. "What's with the red face, Jeany? Huh? Got a bit of a crush on freckle face?"

Jean nearly yelled at him, nearly ripped him apart. No one called him Jeany except his little sister; only Delaney was allowed to call him that. Instead, he only kicked Reiner in the leg, thinking this would somehow help. And it did momentarily, it gave him time to run to his car. But Reiner was right behind him and kicked him in the back. Hard.

Jean fell forward and his face made contact with the pavement. He couldn't contain it anymore and he yelled out in pain. Another rough kick was sent into the left side of his ribs, forcing him to yell out again. He let himself curl into a ball and small tears pricked the corners of his eyes.

Reiner's large shadowed towered over him and Jean had to keep his eyes shut tightly, he didn't want to show him pain. Reiner kicked him one last time before muttering to him, "Don't talk back to me ever again, fag."

Jean waited about 20 minutes after Reiner left before actually opening his eyes. He tried to sit up and coughed a bit, blood landing on his hand. He cringed but kept trying to stand up, grabbing the handle of the car next to him. He got to a standing positon before he took a long shaky breath. How the hell did Reiner even catch up with him that fast? As soon as the end of the day bell rang, Jean ran for the front door. He seemed to be the first person outside, how the hell did Reiner even know where he _was_?

Ignoring all of his thoughts, he staggered to his car. And as if he didn't need more to worry about, Marco was sitting on the hood. Jean wanted to scream. He wanted to hurt someone. He wanted to tell everyone to go away. But more than anything, he wanted to cry. He was just so tired.

As soon as Marco saw Jean, he gasped. Dirt covered his legs and the front of his shirt, his face was bruised, and his hair was everywhere, beanie not to be seen anywhere.

"Jean!" he exclaimed. He ran forward, just in time to see Jean break down into tears. He was practically sobbing, something Marco was very sure Jean let very few people see him do. Sitting on his knees, Jean refused to look up from the ground. Tear stains touched the ground, little puddles forming.

Marco hesitantly bent down and looked around to make sure people weren't looking. Unfortunately, people were. They stared at Jean as if he were the scum of the Earth, giving him looks that Marco didn't want him to see.

"Come on," he said softly. He picked up Jean's backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Carefully, he put his letterman jacket around Jean's shoulders, watching as the jacket engulfed Jean. It was maybe 1 to 2 sizes too big. Once again looking at the people around them, Marco wrapped an arm around Jean and led him to his car. "Hey, Jean, give me your keys."

Not even protesting, Jean handed over the keys to his car and moved to the driver's side as soon as he heard the doors unlock. Marco grabbed his arm to stop him. "Jean, I'll drive you home, you get in the passenger side."

Jean looked back at him, his cheeks stained with dried tears. "What about your car?"

"I usually ride the bus, today I wanted to wait up for you. I had to talk to you."

"But who's going to drive you home?"

"Let me worry about that."

Jean only nodded at the statement and moved back to the passenger door, sliding in. Marco let out a breath and got into the driver's side. The car was quiet as he put the keys in the ignition, only being filled with a light humming. Jean only spoke to tell him directions to his house and even then his voice was scratchy and unsure.

Marco merged and stopped his car in front Jean's house and turned off the car. Marco looked over at Jean who was staring blankly out the window. His eyes were so empty and tired that it looked like he wasn't sure what to do.

"Jean, we're here."

Jean looked back at Marco with a surprised look. It was like he forgot that he was even there. He looked past Marco and saw his house in view before grabbing his bag. "How are you going to get home, Marco?"

Marco smiled softly. "My house is just a few blocks away. Just go inside and rest."

He nodded again before beginning to exit the car. Only for Marco to put a hand on his shoulder and say, "I know that Reiner did this to you. I hope you know that, you're not hiding anything."

Jean shrugged off his hand and exited the car. Marco didn't move from his spot, waiting for Jean to let himself into his house.

Then he realized that Jean still had his letterman.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey, guys! I'm sorry I'm not updating very frequently, but with school, I'm really trying to. Thank you to everyone who has even take time to read a single word of this and to everyone who is following the story and commenting, it means a lot. Anyways, I will try to update as frequently as possible with longer chapters, and remember, criticism is very much appreciated! Enjoy chapter 7! **_

That night, Delaney called Jean 'Jeany' and he had to keep himself from going to the bathroom and throwing up. Reiner ruined it. Reiner ruined everything. Why couldn't he just stop? Why couldn't he just leave Jean alone for just one day? Now he'll have to deal with his sister calling him that name and he'll have to deal with repeatedly hearing Reiner calling him that. He'll have to repeatedly remember everything.

_"__What's with the red face, Jeany? Huh? Got a bit of a crush on freckle face?" _

He shook his head vigorously to get the thought out, careful to not accidently ram his car into another. He was driving to school, about 5 minutes away from being late for his first class. He wouldn't dare to show up any earlier knowing that Marco would find him and would try to talk to him. Jean scoffed silently. What was with Marco? Why the hell did he have to talk to Jean yesterday? Maybe he sensed that he fucked up, was it that? Did he actually care to gain Jean's friendship?

He shook his head again. No. As much as Jean loved being around the freckled idiot, he wasn't willing to burden the guy. He wasn't going to burden anyone, not even Connie and Sasha. Maybe if he just ignored Marco and everyone else they'd understand they were better off.

Jean walked up the front steps of the school as the late bell rang. He ignored his growling stomach as he entered the school and walked through the nearly empty hallways. Maybe he would eat today and just purge later. The thought seemed rather tempting seeing as he hadn't eaten in a day or three and he was beginning to get light headed over only eating a piece of lettuce here and there.

Walking into Mr. Smith's first period, he wasn't even noticed by the teachers. He walked to the back of the room to his seat and ignored Reiner who was whispering insulting comments to him. He swore that one day he would just punch him. He knew he would.

The rest of the day was quick and problem free other than Sasha asking about the purpling bruise on Jean's right cheek. He hadn't even had to counter Marco, which was nice. He knew he had to return him his jacket anyway, but today was going well and he didn't need any drama. He ate some lunch, only half of a hamburger. During psychology, he went to the bathroom and when he was sure no one was in there, he threw up his lunch

Marco tried to give Jean his space the day after. He did, after all, look to be having a good day. Besides, it wasn't right to pry into other people's problems. So Marco ignored the fact that Jean seemed to be purposely avoid him. He tried to not notice Jean eating small portions at lunch. He walked out of the bathroom just as fast as he had entered when he smelt throw up and saw Jean leave a stall.

After school, he got onto his bus and sat in the lone half seat in the very back. It seemed that lonely, bullied, or heartbroken kids had sat in that seat before him because all of the notes written with sharpie seemed to repeat themselves.

_'__It's like no one even cares ' _

_'__She called me a whore and he laughed' _

_'__I don't want to be here' _

Marco usually mourned for the strangers that had written these things. They must've gone through great pain. But it wasn't like he was able to do anything about it so he would mostly try to ignore that he ever saw them.

When he arrived at home, he was cautious around his father in the living room and quietly walked into the kitchen to talk- or rather, whisper- to his mother. His father was a rather heavy drinker. He knew it, his mother knew it, and even his little sister knew it. Still no one tried to do anything about it. They just avoided the scary, dangerous man when he was there and appreciated the nice, warm, loving daddy when he was there. It hurt Marco to know that Mina's daddy would rarely be around, but she didn't seem to mind.

Marco's little sister was a very independent nine year old and preferred to be alone anyway. It's almost like she didn't even need a father, drunk, sober, or otherwise.

"Hi, baby," Donna, Marco's mother whispered to him. She had her hands covered in flour, but she still didn't hesitate to pull him into a bear hug. When pulling away, he saw the sadness in her eyes. Sadness he knew that his father had caused. Looks like father started early today.

"I'm going to my room." He gave his mother a smile he knew she couldn't refuse. He hated being downstairs when it was this tense and silent, it made him want to do something about the situation. Something he knew would get him in trouble.

His mother nodded and he walked up the stairs to his room. He shut the door and sighed. He'd come out for dinner and then he'd return to his room, away from his household. He may even help Mina with some homework. But God knows he wouldn't fully be there.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, I've had a lot of personal problems going on. Anyways, I hope this chapter is good. Don't feel shy! Tell me what me what you think in the comments! **_

Weeks had passed and it was becoming painfully clear that Jean wasn't going to talk to Marco any time soon. He hadn't even returned the letterman jacket which Marco kind of needed. It was now mid-October and the leaves were changing, the weather cooling down. And if you added the fact that Marco's father was already asking him where the jacket had gone, because 'he spent so much goddamn money on it', Marco needed that jacket back ASAP.

That Tuesday, Jean was happy. For what seemed like the first time ever, Jean was happy. He wasn't sure why, maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the fact that he'd lost 18 pounds in the last month. The point was that he was happy and he didn't want anything to ruin that.

Jean exited his room in ripped jeans and an old vintage Rolling Stones shirt, his scuffed red converse dragging along the wooden floors. He got to the first floor and saw Delaney sitting at the table eating mac n cheese. Mac n cheese. For breakfast.

"Delaney, what the hell are you doing?" he snapped. So much for being happy.

Delaney's head shot up and her eyes were wide. "You said a curse!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, Delaney, I did. I'm aloud to do that, I'm your older brother." He took the bowl of cheese and noodles from her and walked to the sink, dropping it in. "Why are you eating this for breakfast? Didn't mom make you something?"

"Mommy hasn't come out of her room yet so I made what I wanted."

"Why didn't you come wake me up, Dela?"

The little girl stared at her hands, picking at the nail polish covering her small nails. "I didn't want to bother you."

Jean sighed and walked over to her, struggling to get on his knees in front of his little sister. His bones ached but he still smiled at Delaney. "You never bother me, okay? Now make some toast and get ready so I can drive you to school."

Delaney nodded and ran to the pantry for bread. Jean smiled before frowning and walking out of the kitchen and making his way to his mother's room. Opening the door, he noticed how the room was pitch black, the curtains drawn. This infuriated Jean. She had a daughter that she had to take care of and here she was sleeping the day away.

Jean snapped the light on, filling the room with a bright white light. A groan came from a lump in the sheets and Jean had to try and not snap.

"Get up," he said stiffly.

She groaned again and sat up, her hair everywhere. "Jean, what have I told you about being in my room?"

"You have a daughter to feed and get to school, so get your ass out of bed." He swore that if she didn't move in the next five minutes, he'd yell at her. He'd take Delaney to school himself. He'd run away with her, he was basically raising her already anyway.

Before he did anything he would regret, he quickly left the room. He went back into the kitchen to see Delaney struggling to put bread in the toaster that was high on the counter. Letting out an angry sigh, he took the bread from her and threw it onto the counter. "Come on, Dela, I'll get you something to eat on the way to school."

He threw his backpack over his shoulder and was quickly getting dizzy from all the fast movements. He placed both of his hands on the counter and tried to calm his breathing. Delaney stared worriedly but walked out to Jean's car to wait for him.

Minutes later, Jean walked outside to his car only to see that Delaney wasn't in his car, but was talking to a freckled boy outside of it. Marco was at his house talking to his little sister. _Dammit, _he thought, _I knew I shouldn't have let him drive me home. _

Jean approached them and Marco turned, only a smile covering his face. He had come to get his letterman, but he was also happy to see Jean. He wasn't sure why, he just was.

The first thing he noticed about Jean now was that he was thin. He was thin before, but not this bad. His old band shirt basically hung on his body, nothing filling it. He looked weak. And that scared Marco.

"Hey, Jean!" He said it all with a forced smile. "We haven't talked in a while. I was just coming by for my jacket that I lent you a while ago and I ran into your sister."

Delaney had a wide smile on her face, a smile Jean hadn't seen in a while. "Jean told me about you once. He said you were really nice and he was right."

"That's enough, Delaney," Jean suddenly said. He looked on edge and he realized maybe he should've waited until later. "Get in the car, Dela, I'm going to give Marco his jacket and then I'll be right back."

She nodded and did as she was instructed. Jean nodded for Marco to follow him and led him inside. Following Jean to his room, Marco looked at his surroundings, suddenly realizing why Jean was on edge. A middle aged woman was sitting at the counter, her hair everywhere, her face looked sad a distressed. A toaster was dented and broken in the living room. Marco guessed someone had thrown it there.

"Hurry up, Marco, I have to get my sister breakfast and still get her to school. I can't afford for you to be slow."

Marco's head snapped up at Jean's voice and hurried after him. The upstairs wasn't any better than downstairs; there were clothes and wrappers everywhere and a foul stench filled the air. They got into Jean's room and the stench grew stronger, a lot stronger. This room had to have been the source. Jean went through drawers and drawers to find Marco's jacket, not noticing Marco wandering through the room. Marco took in everything, noticing the bags and plates of food covering the surfaces in Jean's room. The food was old and some turning green.

"Here's your jacket," Jean said, shoving the red fabric in Marco's face.

Marco looked at the jacket and then at Jean who was leaving the room already. "Jean."

He turned around and snapped, "What, Marco?"

Marco didn't even think before he said it, didn't even try. "How come you're not eating?"

Jean almost snapped at him. Almost yelled at him to leave his house. But then he would've just proved Marco's accusation right, Marco might've told someone, forced him to eat. So instead, Jean sighed ad looked Marco in the eye. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I eat plenty, Marco, so let's go. I have to get Delaney food and get her to school. If you hurry up, I can drive you to school too."


	9. Chapter 9

_**So I'm sorry again for not updating more frequently. And for not really being a good writer. And everything in between. Sorry, I'm watching Perks of Being a Wallflower and I always get upset when I watch it. This chapter also may be poor quality so I apologize for that. But I had a day off today, so I decided to write a chapter. I've had a lot going on. Hope you like this chapter **_

After getting both Marco and Delaney something at McDonalds and dropping Delaney off at school, Jean was sitting in silence in his car with Marco in the passenger seat. Marco tried to not say anything, but don't you want to say something when you know someone's lying to you? Marco knew that Jean wasn't eating, he knew, why couldn't Jean just give up and talk to him about it?

"Why didn't you get anything at McDonalds?" he finally asked.

Jean made a scoffing noise and glanced at Marco. "I know you're trying to make some point, Marco, but you're not going to win whatever game it is you think you're playing. I eat as much as I need to. I don't need you or anyone worrying about me."

"It's not healthy. I've barely ever seen you eat; I know you threw your food up at school, for Christ's sake."

At those words, Jean immediately drove the car to the side of the road and parked. He looked at Marco and suddenly Marco knew he crossed a line. "What do you want from me, Marco? What are you trying to prove by being near me and being my friend? I honestly want to know, because I'm through with repeating myself! I don't need this; I don't need to be made fun of!"

Marco stared at him before looking down at his hands. He wasn't sure why he wanted to be near him himself. He just felt this gravitational pull just dragging him closer and closer to Jean. He couldn't stop it.

"Jean…" Marco started, hesitantly putting his hand on Jean's arm. He saw Jean flinch, but he didn't pull away. Seeing this as a good sign, he continued. "I'm not sure what's wrong with you, I'm not sure what's wrong with me, and there may be nothing wrong. But I'm going to be here for you, something in my head tells me that I need to be here for you. And I will be here for you. Whether you like it or not."

Jean never looked up at him. He just stared down at his lap and kept a hard grip on the steering wheel. Then his shoulders began to shake. Violently.

Marco panicked slightly and moved his hands to pry Jean's off the wheel. He kept hold of Jean's hands, held them tightly. Jean didn't seem to care as he began to sob. Marco moved closer, undoing his seat belt and letting go of Jean hand to wrap his arm around him.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, calm down just a little bit," Marco softly cooed, squeezing his shoulder. "It's going to be okay. I know how it feels, it's okay."

Jean didn't calm down, though. If anything, he started to sob even more. Marco tried to comfort him as much as he could, but noticed he wasn't really helping. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

He slid his arm off of Jean and got out of the car, going around to the driver's side. He opened the door and looked at Jean. "Slide over to the passenger seat. I want to show you somewhere."

Jean tried hard to wipe his eyes and keep down his sobs. "But we have to get to school."

Marco knew that. He knew it way too well, and he also knew his parents- mostly his dad- was going to kill him once he got home. The school calls your home when you don't show up, they'd know. But right now, all that mattered was that Jean felt better. That was all Marco seemed to be able to care about right now; he wasn't thinking about the after effects. Fuck the after effects.

"Screw school. You won't be able to concentrate in your condition. Scoot over."

The golden eyed boy did as he was told and slid over, letting Marco take the driver's seat.

"Where are we going?" Jean quietly asked.

Marco pulled away from the curb before taking a U turn. "Somewhere I go when I'm upset. I know you'll love it."

The car ride was silent for a long time before Marco finally flicked on the radio. He kept going through stations before he clicked the button for the CD player, hoping a good CD was in. A familiar song began to play.

_Katie, don't cry, I know_

_You're trying your hardest_

_And the hardest part is letting go_

_Of the nights we shared_

_Ocala is calling_

_And you know it's haunting _

"No shit!" he exclaimed. "You like Mayday Parade?"

Jean jumped a bit at his sudden excitement but nodded a bit. "Yeah, I have all their albums."

"Me too!" Marco was now happy, just happy to have broken the silence. It wasn't uncomfortable anymore. He was happy they had at least one thing in common.

_Let's not pretend like you're alone tonight_

_(I know he's there and)_

_You're probably hanging out and making eyes_

_(while across the room he stares)_

_I'll bet he gets the nerve to walk the floor_

_And ask my girl to dance, and she'll say yes _

The music was suddenly turned off as Marco pulled in front of a broken down warehouse and cut the engine. Jean looked out the driver's window and looked over the scene. "Where the hell even are we?"

A smile crossed Marco's face as he looked at the old building. "My safe place."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry that I haven't** **updated in a month or so, I've had a lot to do and my birthday is in 4 days! I promise to try and update more, that is my mission. **

**Enjoy chapter 10! **

Jean had no idea what was going on right now. Why the hell were they in front of this building? Windows were actually broken. But as Jean looked over at Marco, he could tell that for some reason, this freckled kid loved this place. And who was Jean to question that?

Jean cleared his throat and it seemed to take Marco out of whatever trance he was in. "Come on, I'll show you around inside," he said, getting out of the driver's side. Jean followed suit and got out on his side.

Marco wasn't even waiting for Jean and kept walking to the boarded front doors of the building. Jean hurried to catch up and was soon right behind Marco. Marco slowly cracked open the door before reaching up and undoing a chain lock on the door, then pushing the door open wide enough for both of them to walk in.

Following Marco in, Jean was surprised by how clean the entrance way of the building was. The place was maybe an office building or hotel before, seeing as there was a nice desk next to one of the front walls. The desk looked completely clean, as if it hadn't been left alone for years. The tile floor had a beautiful shine coming off of it, the sun light coming off. As Marco led Jean to the stairs, the cleanliness didn't end. Everything was cleaned up.

"This used to be a law firm," Marco finally said. His hand was delicately going up the banister, like he didn't want to hurt anything. "I found it 3 years ago when I was trying to get away from my house. It was disgusting, bugs everywhere, even a few dead rats. But with a broom, floor cleaner, and a lot of bug spray, I was able to make this place like a second home."

Reaching the second and also top floor, Jean saw that it was an open space. With desks and chairs pushed up against the walls, there was also a small table in the middle of the floor, legs held to it with duct tape. Next to that was a chair.

Marco grabbed Jean's arm and led him deeper into the room. "This is where I spend most of my time. I'm trying to figure out where the electrical system is so I can maybe rig it up and put in a mini fridge."

Jean observed the room and wanted to say something but couldn't. In his eyes, the place was a dump. But for some reason, Marco thought it was the most amazing place ever. He didn't quite understand. How bad did Marco's home have to be for him to act like this was some paradise?

"What exactly is going on at home, Marco?" he asked, taking a seat on the mini table. It creaked under his weight, forcing him to sit up more.

Marco stared at Jean for a second before looking away and walking to the nearest window. He leaned on it and stared out at the town below, ignoring any question that Jean might've asked. Sighing, Jean got up and walked towards the window, leaning on it next to Marco.

"The town looks so pretty from above," Marco observed. "From up here, you wouldn't think anything bad ever happened there. That everyone was happy and nice. You wouldn't guess that anyone ever hurt anyone else here."

Jean looked at the town as well and he has to admit, it was pretty. It might've been 10 in the morning, but any town looks pretty when you're above it, no matter what time of day. But what Jean was really thinking about was what Marco just said. It was true, you wouldn't guess any of that, but no one would ever get hurt here? Who would ever hurt Marco? He's too nice to have anyone even think about hurting him.

"Things aren't that bad. But I guess you're right," Jean finally said.

Both of them sat in silence before Jean felt his hand be grabbed. He glanced over at Marco and saw that the freckled boy had a red tint to his cheeks. He was blushing. Marco was holding Jean's hand.

Jean looked back to the town and slowly laced his fingers with Marco's, not daring to look over at him. He felt Marco's hand tense up slightly but then relax into the hold.

"I really like being around you," Marco said quietly.

Jean looked at Marco and smiled a bit. This was Marco the jock, Marco the nice guy. This Marco was actually telling him that he basically liked him. "I like being around you too, Marco."

Marco finally turned to look at Jean and gave him a nervous smile.

Suddenly remembering what he had asked earlier, Jean decided to ask Marco again. Marco couldn't ignore him, they were holding hands for bloody sake.

"Marco, what's going on at your house?"


	11. Authors Note

_**Hi, guys! I realize that i've been gone for a few months and i apologize for that. But let it be known that i'm working on chapter 11 right now and it will be up either today or tomorrow! **_

_**I once again apologize for the wait, i know i should've had all of this up sooner, it's my fault. **_

_**Keep a look out for the next chapter! **_

_**Kate **_


	12. Chapter 11

_**I am extremely sorry for not updating the day i said i would, i've had summer school from 8am to 4:30pm all day for the past week and a half and could not find time to write. But i am done now and can update when i'm not busy. Like today! Another apology concerning this chapter is that i was not able to reread and fix grammar or spelling errors so this piece is completely raw. I am once again sorry for making you wait so long, but here is chapter 11! **_

Just as quickly as Marco's hand was there, it was gone. Jean stared at him, awaiting an answer that it didn't seem like would come.

"Marco, I'm just worried. Like you're always worried about me, I'm worried about you," Jean tried to reason. He really was only trying to help. It was ridiculous how Marco acted about this building, like it was his actual home. What was Jean supposed to think about his home life if Marco preferred this over it?

Marco looked over at Jean timidly, looking him over a bit. It wasn't like he'd even actually told anyone any of this about his home situation. Of course this would be difficult.

The tense silence between them was broken when Jean's phone started to ring. Marco visibly jumped at the sudden noise and Jean searched through his pockets for it. He pulled out his phone and saw the caller ID was Connie. Quickly hanging up, he shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Don't you want to answer that?" Marco asked.

Jean shook his head and grinned softly. "They're probably only wondering where I am. They'll be fine."

Marco continued to stare at Jean before taking a deep breath and looking at the ground. "It's not really something I want to talk about, Jean; it's personal."

This sentence enraged Jean. Jean didn't want to talk about his eating problems; _that _was personal. Yet Marco still wouldn't stop trying to open him up. He was being a hypocrite and nothing bothered Jean more than that.

"That didn't really seem to matter in my case, now did it?" he said in monotone.

Marco sighed. "Jean, that's not fair-"

"That's not fair? No, you know what's not fair? I've spilled my fucking guts to you, you met my little sister, I let you see my hell hole of a house, yet I know jack shit about you! The only thing I know about you is that your home is fucked enough for this dump to seem like a vacation! _That's _not fair, alright? That's fucked, Marco." Jean breathed heavily, trying to regain his breath from his rant. He made eye contact with Marco and waited for an answer or something, anything.

The freckled boy's eyes seemed wet and glazed over, like he was holding back multiple emotions. "You're right, Jean. You're right, and I'm sorry that I'm being like this. But I just need more time to think things over. My mom would kill me if she knew I said anything about my dad."

Jean took a step forward and took Marco's hand again, entwining the fingers in an iron grip. "So it's your dad? He's the problem?"

"No. well- kind of"

"Is he hurting you?"

"No, not physically at least-"

"Is he hurting anyone?"

"I can't answer that-"

"Come on, Marco, I can help with-"

"Stop!"

The room went to a sharp silence that Jean wasn't sure how to respond to. Marco had never raised his voice at him before. In fact, Jean couldn't remember a time when Marco was even mad. It was off-putting to say the least.

Marco's eyes softened at Jean's scared face. Without even thinking, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jean's waist. Surprising Jean himself, his arms went around Marco's neck. Their faces were inches apart and Marco's eyes were looking straight into Jean's.

"You have to trust me," Marco whispered, his breath wafting onto Jean's skin. "If anything dangerous was going on, I'd tell you. I'd get out of it. Just trust me."

Jean nodded shortly before leaning in and kissing Marco's cheek so softly he could rarely feel it. "I trust you."


	13. Another Authors Note

_**I have unfortunately not updated in months and i am so sorry. I've had to write chapters for my Advanced Creative Writing class and haven't had much time to look at this story. I'm going to update soon though. I am so so so sorry that it's been so long. I love this story and i promise to keep it going, but i'm very busy with classes and a personal matter at the moment. I am currently struggling to get out of an abusive relationship, i'm finding it hard to get out of it. It takes up my mind and blocks thoughts of anything, not just this story. Don't worry, i'll update soon. I promise. **_

_**-Kate **_


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